Pages

Thursday, October 1, 2015

A Better Way

Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are
your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”

“No, Lord,” she said.

And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”

John 8:10-11 (NLT)

Sin no more.

This exchange concludes the familiar
story of the woman caught in adultery and dragged to the Temple for sentencing.
The Law of Moses required that she be stoned to death. Jesus invites only those
without sin to throw the stones which, of course, includes no one. In this way
Jesus spares the woman’s life, but tells her to “leave your life of sin.” (If
this story isn’t familiar, read John 8.)

Go and sin no more.

What emotion do you hear in Jesus’
voice?

I love Andy Stanley’s retelling of
this story at NCommandments.org.
Dr. Stanley suggests that Jesus uses an earnest tone that urges the woman to change
her ways. His words sound like “I don’t need to condemn you. Your sin is
already killing you. I want better for you.”

Our sin breaks God’s heart. He has a
beautiful life planned for us and sin destroys that. It kills our mind and
body. It affects our self respect and relationships. It damages our conscience.
Stanley says “every sin comes prepackaged with a penalty.”

Go and sin no more – not because God
is going to punish you or because the Bible says not to. Stop sinning because
you’re hurting yourself.

How?

Reflect on your life. Name your sin.
Confess it to God who forgives you and gives you the strength to change.

Then… tell a trusted friend or
counselor who will hold you accountable. Find community. You are not alone.

2 comments:

This is amazing. I love the quote "I don’t need to condemn you. Your sin is already killing you. I want better for you.” I am going to ask if I can use it when I speak next month at Singing Hills. thank you for sharing, my friend.

Yes, of course you can. It really comes straight from Andy Stanley's sermon at http://ncommandments.org/sin-not which I highly recommend. I love his retelling of the woman caught in adultery story. So enlightening.Good luck with your speaking engagement next month. What's your topic?